une autre
Danelectro U2 Pro Electric Guitar
I already own the U2 from the previous reissue so I was intrigued to get my hands on the latest take on this timeless classic.
Features of the Danelectro U2 Pro Electric Guitar
Tuners - The unbranded sealed units on the Pro are a vast improvement over the open-backed or covered types on the original and previous reissued models.
Headstock - The trade mark "Coke Bottle" design has been modified slightly with a hint of an Elvis quiff at the top. The excellent retro Dano logo remains untouched.
Nut - A shiny aluminium nut helps the U2 to produce its vintage twang and adds a certain something to the looks, contrasting as it does with the black headstock.
Neck - Maple neck is painted all the way down in the same black as the headstock. The necks on the previous reissues were the same colour as the body but current crop all have black necks. The painted finish is very smooth and pleasant on the hand. The profile is slightly chunkier on the Pro giving it a nice Les Paul feeling.
Fretboard - Smooth and close-grained, lacquered at the edges to match the shiny neck but clean on the playing surface. Traditional dot-markers (what else?).
Frets - Very well polished medium-rounded frets make this guitar a comfortably fat playing experience.
Action - Comfortably low straight from the box.
Body - Flat slab body with the classic single-cut so resonant of the times. The construction of the body is unique - a Masonite back and front are glued onto a plywood core. The semi-hollow nature of the body adds character to this guitars unique voice. Access to the electronics is via a circular panel in the back of the body which is characteristically held in place by a single central screw. The edge of the body on the Pro is smoothly finished unlike the original and the previous reissue where the edge of the body is taped. This better finishing adds greatly to the upgraded feel of the guitar. Masonite, by the way, is a type of hardboard.
Bridge - The original Dano bridge was a fixed rosewood affair on a metal platform. Height was adjustable by moving the whole affair up and down on its mounting screws but intonation was fixed. Also the leading edge of the bridge was susceptible to wear. The Pro uses the same metal platform but the rosewood strip has been replaced by individual saddles that are fully adjustable for height and intonation. Although the intonation adjustment looks a bit fiddly, this bridge is a vast step forward for the U2.
Pickups - The two single coil alnico pickups have the marvellous vintage lipstick styling that is the most recognisable feature of any Dano. These have been wound for higher output on the Pro but are still wired to produce a boost when both are engaged. Pickup height is adjusted via screws on the rear of the body.
Controls - Older U2 guitars have stacked volume and tone controls for each pickup. The Pro has a simple master volume and master tone. Although in theory this represents a slight loss in versatility, in practise it is not noticeable. The knobs have a cheap and chunky retro feel that suits the guitar well. They're the pull off type and it would be easy to replace them with some black Gibson types to "modernise" the look. The three-way selector gives you the standard pickup options.
Pickguard - A clear plastic pickguard covers the lower part of the body. It's a larger pickguard than previous U2 variants and lacks the trademark "D" that they carried. The pickguard is the easiest place to start when customising a guitar and if I owned this little gold beauty I'd get a replacement pickguard cut in Leopard Skin. Mmmmm, Glam......
Strap-buttons - The plastic push-in strap-buttons on the previous reissues were a complete disaster so I'm glad to see that the Pro sports some proper strap-buttons in the proper places.
Output Jack - On the lower edge of the body in a chrome plate.
Finish - The gold finish with the black neck is not only immaculately applied but is also drop-dead-gorgeous. This is a beautiful instrument.
Sound of the Danelectro U2 Pro Electric Guitar
Pure-Retro-Rock-n-Roll-Single-Coil-Jangly-Twangly-Loveliness. This is the real Old Skool, the True Voice of Vintage from the days when electric guitars were featured on Tomorrow's World. Turn on your PC speakers and go to the Danelectro 56 Pro official website to get a sonic demonstration (click on the "Hear it" button). Gorgeous.
Overall Impressions of the Danelectro U2 Pro Electric Guitar
The Pro is a chunkier, heavier, better made, more substantial version of a guitar that I already own and love. There's nothing else that will give you the Dano sound, but now that sound is delivered in an instrument that really does have a professional feeling about it. The Pro slaughters the previous re-issues and considering the second-hand market value of old reissue U2's a brand spankers Pro looks like a bargain to me. What are you waiting for? Get one before they're gone.
Buy the Danelectro U2 Pro in Also available in Red, Blue and Black
Reviewed by The Man in the Jar (The guitar world's equivalent of Kendo Nagasaki).
